Is This Still A Game?
by theskirilydoctor
Summary: After his loss against the Avengers, Loki is taken back to Asgard and imprisoned. Ten years later a Midgardian arrives on Asgard. Can these two outsiders find friendship or will Loki be lost in the darkness again?
1. It Begins

**Prolouge**

The corridor was pitch black, the dark stone of the walls seeming to meld into the dark stone of the floor. The roof offered the only change in colour but only because the once blinding white marble had faded to a grey. The whole place stank of ruin and decay, but not the decay of rotting bodies, just of a once proud city fallen into the cold hands of time. The dust began to stir as a large wooden door was opened and in stepped a cloaked figure. Creatures scuttled and scampered away from the light that now barely pierced the shadows and the figure stepped into the darkness. A wave of a hand and the corridor seemed to come to life. The dust was blown away, the torches sprung to life, an eerie purple fire burning from them.

"Malakey! Are you insane?" Another figure entered the corridor, this one with its hood back. Its eyes were serpentine, the colour of fresh spring grass, with scaled skin the same colour as the torch fires. The nose was like that of a snakes and when it talked, two fangs stood out against the rest of its teeth. The first figure simply hissed as it leant against the wall, chest rising and falling as it tried to catch its breath.

"I couldn't stand to see our home like that," The voice identified the first figure as a male and he too pulled back his hood. He looked like the first, except with more masculine features compared to the second figure which was a female. She moved over Malakey and placed a hand on his shoulder gently, the four fingers glowing for a moment as she transferred some of her energy, her magic, back into him. In the background, the torches flickered and hissed, seeming like they would die out at any moment.

"Nisa, you should not waste your _macra_ on me. It is dangerous," Malakey warned straightening up as new energy flowed into him. To these beings, _macra_ is their life force, their magic that allows them to do almost anything. Centuries ago, the Serpine were a proud and powerful race, but that power came with a price. To gain their magic they would steal the life force of other people, destroying whole worlds to do so. They were nearly unbeatable until the Serpine made the mistake of attacking Asgard.

"We need two to finish this job, so next time; don't waste your magic on simple pride. There is work to be done. Come," Nisa said, speaking swiftly as she walked away. She held her head high and led the staggering Malakey into a dark and dank room that had not been touched by the magic. There was no light, except for one that shone from the ceiling and fell onto a stone pillar, illuminating the white surface like a beacon. Nisa walked forward slowly and a small vile came into view, filled with a bright green liquid.

"Is that it? We risked out lives to gather that?" Malakey scoffed voice obnoxious as he glared at the tiny vial. "It has barely enough potion in it!"

Nisa hissed, a deep guttural sound, as she placed the vial away into her clothing. "This potion is what will bring the fall of Asgard. Everything is planned out." Nisa said, whipping her tail at him, the sharp tip scratching his cheek. Malakey stumbled back a little, snarling as he placed a hand on his cheek. He looked up at Nisa, who had moved closer to him. "And if you dare disrespect me again, I will not hesitate to kill you."

Malakey shrunk back in fear for Nisa was of higher rank than he. If he were to strike back, the punishment would be immediate death. "I understand." He said, looking at the floor as he stood up. He could no longer meet her eyes.

With a snort, Nisa led the way out of the room and instead of going back to the way they had entered, she continued down the corridor into another room. This one was larger than the other and at the end was a large statue of their species, obviously a God of some kind. His hands were outstretched and Nisa led the way over to him. Opening the vial, she tipped what meagre contents it had into the hands and they disappeared.

"Why did you do that? I thought we…" Malakey began but was stopped out of fear for Nisa had her tail end right at his throat. Her eyes betrayed nothing and her face was set like stone. Malakey knew what was going to happen though and he now knew why he had been chosen for this mission. He had no family, no friends and he worked in the mines. He was expendable.

"For the Serpine."


	2. A New King, An Old King

**Loki**

The crowd parted and a hushed silence fell over everyone as the watched the Asgardian guards and Thor himself led a muzzled and cuffed Loki to the castle. No one knew why their former King and Prince was kept in such a state, and the whispers began to rise as the crowd started asking questions. No one knew the truth about Loki, that he wasn't really a true Prince of Asgard, that he was in fact the runt son of Laufey who was once King of the Jotun. They started speculating, making up wild rumours about what could of possibly happened for Loki to be in such a state. Most citizens of Asgard loved Loki and thought that he could do no wrong, but others, a select few, knew about his real side, his dark side.

The group entered the castle and Loki shook out of his brother's grasp wishing he could tell Thor that he was not a child but the infernal gag held his mouth firmly shut. He walked with his head held high in defiance and did not even make a motion of acknowledgement when Sif, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg joined the group. Oh how he wished he could use his magic, but of course Thor had thought ahead. The handcuffs he was wearing had the ability to absorb magic so anything Loki did was useless.

The great hall of the castle was used for celebrations but now it had been transferred into a court room of some kind. Thor once again grabbed his brother's arm and he led Loki to the middle of the room. To the right and left of Loki, there were stands filled with civilians from the city, obviously here to witness the trail. In front of him was where Thor sat, high above everyone else and Loki now knew that Thor was King. Anger bubbled up inside him but it did not show through his eyes. Instead he yelled at Thor from the inside.

'_That is my Throne and I am the rightful King. Enjoy it while it lasts, Thor.'_ Loki thought to himself.

Once the room was quiet, Thor stood and nodded to Volstagg who was standing near Loki. The giant of a man walked over and removed the gag but kept the cuffs on. Loki stayed silent, moving his mouth a bit to get the feeling back in.

"Loki Laufeyson," Thor began but once Loki's true parentage was revealed, the crowd could not keep quiet. Loki was the son of the dead ruler of the Jotun? He was a monster! How was he allowed to be here? It took several minutes before Thor could regain control of the crowd and continue.

"Loki Laufeyson, you are being tried for crimes against Asgard and Midgard alike. Your crimes are as followed -" Loki tuned out at this point, knowing everything that he had done already and he was not ashamed. He was proud of every single one of them and little did Thor know, but Loki wanted to be here. Everything had gone to plan to matter what. On Midgard, it did not matter if Loki won or lost, he never cared about the Earth. He only wanted to come back to Asgard knowing fully well that he would most likely get a warning and be allowed free to continue his plan.

"How do you plead?" Thor asked his adopted brother, blue eyes looking at him sadly. _'What is it going to take Loki?'_ He asked himself as he waited for his brother reply.

Loki took his time, looking around the crowd with a sinister smirk on his face. Most could not meet his eyes and those that did looked afraid of him. There were the few who just had disapproval on their faces but Loki did not care. "Guilty. I did every single one of those crimes and I am not ashamed of it." Loki sneered, looking straight at Thor when he replied. _'Do you worst. I dare you.'_ His eyes said, challenging his 'brother'. Thor returned Loki's gaze but all his eyes held were sorrow.

'_This is for your own good, brother. Maybe in time you will learn.'_

"Then I sentence you to life imprisonment until you have proven that you are worthy to be set free." Thor commanded bringing Mjolnir down. The sound rang throughout the hall and Loki narrowed his eyes at Thor before he was being dragged away. Life imprisonment, what was Thor thinking? This was Loki. No Asgardian jail could hold him unless Thor had one made just for Loki.

Through the castle he was led, both arms held by an Asgardian guard each, with several more leading infront and behind. Thor was taking no chances this time; he knew his brother would escape if he had the chance so extra measures were put in place. All the servants were given the day off with pay, every guard checked and double checked to make sure they were who they said they were. Everything had to run smoothly.

Deeper and deeper the group led Loki and he noticed that he was not being led to the dungeons. A chill ran down his spine when he noticed this, his fear coming to light. Thor had another prison waiting for him somewhere in the castle, probably made specifically for Loki. His fear did not go past his mind for Loki stayed silent and defiant. Finally, the guards stopped at a steel door and Loki examined it. It was made from ordinary steel, he could escape that no problem. He was expecting to be freed of his cuffs then shoved in but instead he was just shoved in and the guards followed. They stopped at a certain point and two of them each held their swords at his throat while the cuffs were removed. Then Loki was pushed forward and he just managed to keep his balance.

There was a strange noise that could be heard, almost like a whale song with a pulse to it. Loki watched as a white rippling light surrounded the area he was in then disappear. Blinking he stood up and looked at the guards who were still standing there and he laughed. "Do you know nothing? You should of ran while you had the chance." He said calling upon his powers to throw them back. The next thing Loki knew was that he was the one flying back. He skidded along the stone floor and laid there for a moment as black spots covered his vision. The last thing he heard was the laughing of the guards as they left the room.

With a groan Loki finally came to after what he knew to be many hours. He found it hard to get up, is head was pounding and he felt weaker than ever. What had happened to him? He remembered it and felt like slapping himself in the face. It was so simple yet he had not noticed it. The white light that had surrounded his… Where was he?

He rose slowly to his feet and looked around a puzzled expression on his face. It was almost exactly identical to his own chambers in set up, but the furniture was not his. There was a bed to his right, a desk to his left and behind him to the right a little was a bookcase. There was also another portion of the room which was walled off and Loki went to investigate that. It was a bathroom, with a toilet, sink and a shower. There was also a mirror hanging over the sink which he found to be a strange thing for Thor to think of. Loki knew Thor had this place made for him and that this is where he was to spend the rest of eternity, or until he managed to escape.

Loki ran a hand through his long black hair, and he thought that maybe he should give it a cut sometime. It had grown quite long since his time travelling and trying to take over Midgard but that was the least of his problems. His new problem was the barrier that surrounded his prison. Exiting the bathroom, Loki looked up at the roof to see that there was a skylight in place to give him light. Nothing else was around except for a lamp which he knew he'd have to use magic to light.

Moving ever so slowly, Loki approached what he thought to be the edge of his prison and he reached a hand out slowly only to have it bounced back at him as the barrier took effect. "Smart thinking Thor, not only is it strong enough to hold me, but it also drains my powers." Loki muttered to himself, unaware that Thor was in the room.

"I'm glad you like it Loki, it is after all, just for you." The King of Asgard said, coming into view, hands behind his back. Loki took a step away from the barrier and glared at Thor. He could feel his hate rise up but once again he held it back.

"So Asgard is no longer my home then is it? It is more of a prison." Loki replied smoothly, voice showing no emotion. He wanted to make Thor squirm; he wanted to make him regret this decision. "You said that you wanted me to come home, but this doesn't feel like home to me."

"You turned me down Loki, you let the Chitauri nearly destroy the Earth and you expect me to turn a blind eye and let you come home without any consequences?" Thor said, emotions showing throughout his whole body. He was angry at Loki, and so upset that he could not save his brother. No matter what Loki said, to Thor he would always be his brother.

"Yes I do actually. You are weak, with your sentiment. You expect me to sit here and 'learn my lesson'. Mark my words _your grace_. I. Will. Escape." Loki sneered, laughing at the end as he turned his back on Thor. "You cannot keep me here forever."

Thor sighed and shook his head. "Brother, I did try. You're mind has been taken by darkness -" Thor began but Loki finally snapped.

"I am not your brother! I never was and never will be! Get that through your head."

Thor sighed and shook his head slowly, wishing he could convince Loki that they were still brothers no matter what. He saw no reason to stay and left, leaving Loki alone to his thoughts.

Loki gave the room a quick sweep with his eyes and noticed something he had not before. There was a table near the desk with a chess set on it and Loki glared at it. "Very funny." He muttered and in a fit of rage, he swept his hands and sent the pieces flying through the room.


	3. Conform Or Die

**Piper**

Nine years had passed since then and Asgard had, had no disturbances except for Loki's near escape. He did not succeed though and now everyone was forbidden to go into his prison except for the King himself. Asgard itself though, was occupied with something else, something that had never happened before. A Midgardian had somehow been brought to Asgard.

Piper, a human of sixteen years, stood in the Great Hall starring around her, eyes wide as she took in everything that was happening. She had been awake for only a few hours and now she was listening to her life being decided for her. A council of twenty Asgardians sat in front of her with the King, Thor, in the middle of them. She knew nothing of what was happening, all she knew that her head was really beginning to hurt. Would they just shut up and ask her?

"We should get Heimdall to send her back to Midgard, she does not belong here."

"She obviously is not safe there and you know what state she was in when she was brought here."

"What will we do with her then?"

"Perhaps she could become a servant?"

That was when one voice rose louder than the rest. "Maybe we should just kill her." Piper stared right at the person who said those words. He was a fat man, balding on the top and he reminded her of a pig quite a lot. She lost it, between everything that had happened and now this man saying they should kill her, Piper spoke up.

"Hey! HEY!" She yelled at the top of her lungs and amazingly the room went quiet and all eyes were on her. For a moment, stage fright sunk it but she continued. "While you are all deciding what should happen to me, maybe you should ask me for my opinion?" Irritation was clear in her words.

Thor smiled and laughed. "You are brave Midgardian, please tell us. What do you want to do? Stay here, or go back to Midgard." He asked, leaning forward to catch her answer.

Piper licked her lips for a moment as she thought. "I want to stay here, and be _alive_." She said, looking straight at the man who had suggested they kill her right in the eyes. "And I want to be a…" Piper paused for a moment and thought about what jobs they would have here. Everything seemed so, medieval so she went for the one thing she had always wanted to be if she ever had the chance to go back in time.

"I want to be a warrior." Those few words caused a big reaction as protests rang out from nearly every single council member.

"She is just a Midgardian! She is not strong enough."

"We cannot allow someone who is not of Asgardian descent protect us!"

"She will get herself killed this way instead."

They continued on and on, bickering and fighting. Only five people were on her side and they were losing their argument. Piper sighed and bit her tongue softly. _'So I am to become either a servant, or have my life taken from me…'_ She thought to herself. Suddenly there was a loud resounding clang as Thor struck Mjolnir against the table he sat behind.

"ENOUGH! Look at us all, sitting her deciding the fate of this girl as if she were lower than us. What does that make us then? We do not control fate or destiny, so we should not try and control this human's life." Thor said, looking at his council members sharply before he turned his sky-blue eyes to Piper. "Piper, are you sure that is the life you want to lead?"

Piper smiled up at Thor confidently. "It is." Her words rang through the hall and were soon joined by the clack of Mjolnir as the meeting was adjourned. Piper stood there a little awkwardly, wondering what would happen now. Would she have to leave and find her own place to stay or what? She did not have to wait for long though as a woman approached her wearing armour. Her hair was as black as a raven's wing and her stride was confident.

"That was a very brave thing you did there Piper. I am Lady Sif, a warrior of Asgard." Sif introduced herself, giving Piper a small smile. "Apart from you, no other female has wanted to be a warrior so I have decided that I will be your private mentor since you will need the extra training."

Piper nodded at Sif, a little lost for words. This woman seemed so powerful in her stance and her words. Piper did not want to seem like an idiot though and she responded quickly. "I thank you, Lady Sif, for being so kind to me."

Sif laughed a little. "You do not need to be so formal with me Piper; I am not like pompous fools. Come, let me show you where you will be staying then we have to make a few trips to get clothes and such." Sif said and began to lead the way, with Piper following close behind.

The first stop was her room which was bigger than she thought it would be. It contained a double bed which looked very comfortable. There were also drawers, a cupboard, a table and a desk there. Everything was made out of either wood or another natural material, it all looked so. "Amazing." Piper said with a smile as she stepped further into the room.

"Now, you have to share the servant's showers which I will show you but they are decent enough and you do have privacy." Sif explained walking in with Piper but then beckoning with her hand for the girl to follow. "Come with have a lot more to see."

Piper followed Sif throughout the castle grounds, meeting people, exploring places and learning about Asgard. The gardens were magnificent, with flowers and plants Piper had never seen before. There were strange birds and lizards but Piper was glad to see some familiar animals around. Horses, cats and dogs were pretty much the same around here. The thing that Piper liked the most about Asgard was the sky though. Even in the day you could see that stars, dust clouds of every colour could also be seen and there was no sun, just two moons that glowed bright enough to be the sun. They even had an orange glow to them.

Piper saw the markets and she was amazed by the smells and sights. Foods she had never heard about were being sold along with the most fantastic items. She would have stayed there for much longer if Sif had not taken her back to the castle. The rest of the day consisted of getting her clothes fitted and organising her schedule for classes and training sessions. Piper learnt that to become a warrior, you also needed to pass the Asgardian versions of Maths, Science and English. There were extra classes as well; Horse Riding, Archery but one caught her eye. Magic.

"Hey Sif, would I be allowed to take Magic?" Piper asked as they sat in the dining hall for dinner. All the guests and residents who lived in the castle ate with each other; this included all the warrior, mage and nobles students. It was noisy and Piper had to yell to speak over the rowdy people.

Sif looked at Piper and thought for a moment that the girl was joking, though she soon found out that she was serious. Laughing, she responded. "No, you would have no magical ability as you are human. Only a select few Asgardians have the ability to use magic, and it is not a favoured ability to have anyway. Focus on your strength and fighting and you will fit in."

Piper sighed and looked down at her classes. Some were alright in a way, but the thing was, Piper couldn't read the Asgardian runes which the writing had been given to her in. She had to write out the name in English next to everything after speaking with Sif. The only thing that Piper liked about her new 'school' was the uniform which was pretty flexible. She chose to wear a medium blue waist length tunic, black leggings and black leather boots. Everything was made out of cotton and when it got colder she had a white long sleeved undershirt to wear. Out of all her clothing items though, her favourite was the black cloak she had been given. It was basic black with nothing spectacular about it but still, Piper loved it.

Getting to her feet Piper began to collect her stuff and put it away in the bag she had been given. It was made of leather and much like a satchel. "I'm going to go to my room, I'm tired." She explained to Sif who had been giving the human a questioning look.

"Do you know the way?" Sif asked. She had been given the job of showing the girl around and she took her duties seriously. Plus, Sif admired the girls' bravery for speaking up to the council and choosing the path of a warrior.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. See you at training tomorrow." With that, Piper was out of there, ignoring the looks she got from the other students. Some pointedly stared at her while other poked their buddies and pointed at her. Piper held her head higher and walked past them all. She was going to be brave around them and show them that she was equal to each and every one of them.

Back in her room Piper let out a sigh of relief. She felt safer behind the thick wooden door and she began to sort out her new things, some of which had already been dropped off in her room. Once everything was settled Piper sat down on her bed, leaning against the wall, and began to draw in the leather bound journal she had been given. She wasn't sure of what the picture was until it was half way done. A large castle rose up in a fantasy setting, it was Asgard. To her the whole experience seemed like a dream and Piper was constantly scared that she would wake up soon and be back on Earth, back in Hell itself.

She left the picture half done and got changed into her sleeping attire, basically cotton pants and shirt, before she climbed under her covers. Sleep did not come easily though as Pipers mind would not be quiet; it constantly told her that maybe falling asleep would wake her back up. It was early morning when she finally succumbed to sleep.

"Come on human, you can do a little better than that can't you?" The boy sneered as Piper hit the ground yet again with a slight groan of pain. It had been several weeks since her arrival to Asgard and Piper's training was well under way. Today, sword fighting was the main agenda. Her opponent was an older, and larger, guy, well every guy was larger than her, and he wasn't going soft at all. He seemed to enjoy beating the human. "Maybe you should just stay on the ground where you belong."

They were in the training arena, a high walled dirt covered area with weapons and shields around the outside. Students were paired up with eachother, fighting with wooden swords. The sounds of wood striking wood filled the area, mixed with the grunts and groans.

"Shut up Craston!" Piper yelled, hauling herself to her feet with much effort and taking up the starting stance. Craston laughed, grinning at her as he too took up the position.

"I guess you're ready for-" Craston began but Piper had taken this opportunity to attack, she had to take every chance she got. Craston had much faster reflexes then her and was able to block the attack and strike back, hitting her on the side. "Another beating."

Piper stumbled back but did not stop to clutch at her side. She had to stay standing and show no weakness to him. Just managing to block an attack she retaliated by ducking down and swinging up. She heard a satisfying crunch as the wooden sword struck him under the chin and Piper danced back and got back into the starting position, a smirk on her face. She knew what Craston's weakness was, if he was mad he could no longer concentrate.

"Oooh, too slow there mate. How does it feel to be bested by a human?" Piper jived, switching the wooden sword into her left hand then back to her right. Craston took the bait, hook, line and sinker. Piper saw his eyes cloud with the anger and she smiled at him, this only helped to infuriate the Asgardian. He attacked and she was able to dance to the side easily. That's how she fought, she danced around her opponent as much as she could to get her advantage. A wild swing from Craston caught her unawares and she stumbled back as she blocked the blow. His strikes came in quick succession but Piper managed to get away and hit him in the back of the legs which earned her a roar of frustration.

"You'll pay for that!" Craston bellowed as he dropped his wooden sword and tackled her to the ground. Piper was immediately pinned under his greater weight and all she could do was raise her arms up to protect her face. Craston raised a fist and prepared to strike Piper, murder in his eyes.

"CRASTON!" Sif yelled as she walked over and picked up Craston by the back of his shirt, throwing him off Piper. "I suggest you take a walk and cool off."

Piper laid there, pride wounded once again as she tried to catch her breath which had been knocked out of her when she was tackled. Taking Sif's hand, she hauled herself back to her feet once more and brushed off her clothes, noticing several tears in the light blue fabric of her shirt.

"Are you alright Piper?" Sif asked as she stood back to observe the girl.

"Just peachy." Piper muttered, clearly annoyed with her failure. Without saying anything else to Sif, Piper simply stormed off but even that failed as she had a limp to her walk. She held her head high though and ignored the stares of her fellow classmates, ignored their snickers and whispered taunts as she walked past.

Leaving them all behind, Piper could not bear to go back to the golden castle that she called her home. Piper did not want to be where Craston would find her, where Sif could seek her out. Instead, the human limped towards the wall that surrounded the city and the lands beyond that. Piper had been warned numerous times about the dangerous animals that lurked outside the city in the forest lands. At this point though she cared little for the warnings.


End file.
